The Canadian teams swept the BBQ competition at the US Ambassador’s Residence 4th of July Celebration in Ottawa Ontario. Team Eatapedia and their Chicken recipe took 1st, Steph Legari took first with his rib recipe and Team Diva Q took 1st with our Pork Butt recipe. To say it was a thrill is an understatement.

We were required to submit all three categories and enough samples for 15 judges all within a 10 minute window. It was challenge for sure and I was glad just to get through it.

The team rankings were as follows after the tabulations from the acclaimed accounting firm Ernst & Young :

Can’t Stop Grilling

Diva Q

Natural Born Grillers

Military Chefs

1st Choice Catering

Steph Legari/Team Eatapedia

It was such an honor to be asked to go and prepare #BBQ with Natural Born Grillers (John Wheeler) with assistance from Dennis and Allen Smith of Boars Night Out and their teams. I have now also met the hardest working woman in BBQ Mama NBG – she could run circles around just about anyone. They did an outstanding job with their old Hickory pits and produced copious amounts of ribs chicken and pork. Everyone worked under their advisement and made sure to have everything ready for the 4000+ dignitaries that attended this event. Hard work for sure.

*Pictures courtesy of Mike Hynes Team Eatapedia

We also got to spend some time with US Ambassador Jacobson and his lovely wife Julie. Posing for pictures beside my Traeger Pink Pig Grill and also in front of their residence.

Picture courtesy of Jason Rees BBQBlog.ca

Plus on top of it all early on the morning of the 4th I did a short TV segment with John Woods the coordinator of the event for Canada AM. I am thankfrul the other teams were there to help set everything up. We even made sure to have a balance in BBQ’s – the Blue Ole Hickory Mailbox that NPG has won with so many times and the Pink Traeger Pig

On any given day the results could have been vastly different – However the real secret I do believe in the Canada over the USA win was the fact that we shared one of our favorite libations the Canadian Award winning whiskey Forty Creek. You need to spread the love & share with your fellow BBQ’er always with no egos, just making good BBQ and having a ton of fun-